Helicos BioSciences Joins Personalized Medicine Coalition

Next-Generation Life Sciences Company Endorses Public Policy Discussion

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov 07, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Helicos BioSciences Corporation (NASDAQ: HLCS) announced today it has joined the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), an educational and advocacy group dedicated to advancing the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine.

Helicos BioSciences is a life science company focused on innovative genetic analysis technologies for the research, drug discovery and diagnostic markets. Helicos' proprietary tSMS(TM) technology allows direct measurement of billions of strands of DNA enabling scientists to perform experiments and ask questions never before possible. Helicos is a recipient of the $1,000 genome grant and is committed to providing scientists the tools to unlock the era of genomic medicine.

"We believe that Helicos' technology will enable personalized medicine to become a reality and feel it's crucial for us to have a strong public policy voice. Living in an era where patients will have the opportunity to have their genome sequenced, it's essential for us to join the discussion on how society will deal with this scientific breakthrough," said Patrice Milos, Ph.D., Helicos' Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. "Having watched the PMC since its formation, I have admired the strong policy voice that the PMC has demonstrated. We at Helicos are eager to join its membership and work together to determine how personalized medicine can best be developed to make a difference in healthcare."

It is widely believed that the rapid pace of science and technology discoveries will soon profoundly affect patient care and the current healthcare industry - from regulations about drug approval, to laws about healthcare privacy, to responsible use of patient information. To address these issues, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recently released, at a PMC conference on the future of medicine last month, the first department-wide report on personalized health care, which includes goals and a long-range plan for achieving more personalized treatments for patients.

As these issues escalate and personalized medicine inches closer to reality, the PMC will provide a forum for this discussion and engage the public, policymakers, government officials, and private sector healthcare leaders to further the public interest in personalized medicine by, among other things, identifying policies that will accelerate its adoption and the barriers that may impede its progress.

"We are honored to have Helicos BioSciences join our coalition to ensure that public opinion and policy are aligned with personalized medicine's new and emerging scientific paradigms," said Edward Abrahams, Executive Director of the PMC. "At a time when so many unprecedented social, political and financial challenges face health care today, it is especially important to have a forward-looking company like Helicos add its voice to help us make personalized medicine a reality."

About Helicos BioSciences

Helicos BioSciences is a life science company focused on innovative genetic analysis technologies for the research, drug discovery, and diagnostic markets. Helicos' proprietary True Single Molecule Sequencing, tSMS(TM), technology allows direct measurement of billions of strands of DNA enabling scientists to perform experiments and ask questions never before possible. The company's corporate headquarters are located at One Kendall Square, Building 700, Cambridge, MA 02139, and its telephone number is (617) 264-1800.

About the Personalized Medicine Coalition

The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), representing a broad spectrum of academic, industrial, patient, provider, and payer communities, seeks to advance the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine concepts and products for the benefit of patients. For more information on the Personalized Medicine Coalition, please visit www.personalizedmedicinecoalition.org.

Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical information are forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, Helicos' expectations concerning the prospective value of Helicos membership in the Personalized Medicine Coalition discussed in this press release and management's plans, objectives and strategies. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Helicos' control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include, among other things, our ability to successfully complete the manufacturing process and commercialize the HeliScope system; competition; changing technology and customer requirements; our ability to operate in an emerging market; market acceptance of our technology; our ability to retain our personnel and hire additional skilled personnel; our ability to manage our rapid growth and our ability to obtain capital when desired on favorable terms. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Helicos undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by Helicos, see the disclosure contained in Helicos' public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Helicos BioSciences Corporation

Investor Relations:
Helicos BioSciences Corporation
Louise Mawhinney, 617-264-1800
Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
or
Media Contact:
Racepoint Group
Sally Bain, 781-487-4647

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